Another Sports Bar for Atlantic Yards Area – And This One’s Already Open

Here we go again.

A new bar and lounge has quietly opened up directly across from the Barclays Center at Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street – right next to the proposed location of , a new eatery that has had Slopers up in arms over concerns for noise and late hours.

Machavelle Sports Bar & Lounge soft opened over the weekend, and plans to officially open this evening, according to a man that identified himself as the owner but refused to give his name for fear of “media attention.”

“It’s just going to be good cocktails and good times,” he said, from inside the sleek, two-story lounge (see the ).

But residents of Pacific Street have said that the brand new club has already become a bad neighbor.

“They’re already loud and trashy, and it’s a small place,” said Pacific Street resident May Mosleh. “It’s a mystery with the windows all dark. It makes you wonder what’s going on in there.”

“602 Pacific is hiding from us,” added another neighbor who wished to be identified only as Jane.

Much like the initial issue with Prime 6, another planned Barclays Center-area bar, Machavelle was somehow granted a liquor license (in a speedy one month) without Community Board 6 ever even learning that it was applying for a license in the first place. The lounge then stealthily opened over the weekend.

“It never went before Community Board 6, so there seems to be a problem with the process,” said Jim Vogel, a Pacific Street resident and representative to State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. Vogel caught wind of the situation last month, and has left several notes with the owner in hopes of opening a dialogue but heard no response.

He said that Senator Montgomery is looking at putting together legislation that would require the State Liquor Authority wait for a response from the community board before granting any liquor licenses, rather than grant a license after 30 days regardless of response. The bill would prevent situations like this one from cropping up.

At Monday night’s community board meeting, committee members were faced with the question of what they can even do about the bar, now that it has not only been granted a license, but is open.

“Our block used to be quiet, but it’s not going to be like that anymore,” said Mosleh. “It’s going to be like living on 42nd Street.”